ABSTRACT

Nathaniel Hawthorne is a famous short story writer in the 19th-century America. By focusing on three of his short stories, namely, “The Birthmark”, “Rappaccini’s Daughter” and “Dr. Heidegger' s Experiment”, this thesis emphatically researches the irrationality demonstrated by the three doctors in mad pursuit of knowledge and truth, with an aim to examine, in addition to the religious reasons and inhumanity underlying such mad pursuit of knowledge and scientific rationalism, American people’s sense of self-identity and the spirit of the romantic period in America. 

This thesis consists of four parts. Chapter One is the introduction part, which, after a summary of Hawthorne’s writing career, makes a brief review of past studies on Hawthorne and then outlines the purpose and structure of this thesis. The second chapter centers its discussion around three short stories that feature doctors obsessed with truth in mad pursuit of knowledge through scientific experiments, which bespeaks the independent spirit of extreme individualism typical of the romantic age. Chapter Three examines the religious reasons underlying their mad pursuit of scientific truth, their inhuman sexual exploitation and depraved morality. The conclusion section sums up Hawthorne’s concern with science through the investigation about extreme individualism and religious persecution. 

Keywords：Nathaniel Hawthorne; Science; religion; inhumanity

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One INTRUDOCTION-1

1.1 The Spirit of Science in Hawthorne-1

1.2 Literature Review-2

1.3 Structure of the Thesis-4

Chapter Two  SCIENTISTS IN MAD PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE-6

2.1 The Birthmark-6

2.2 Rappaccini's Daughter-8

2.3 Dr. Heidegger' s Experiment-10

Chapter Three RELIGION AND INHUMANITY-12

3.1 The Birthmark-12

3.2 Rappaccini's Daughter-14

3.3 Dr. Heidegger' s Experiment-16

Chapter Four CONCLUSION-18

WORKS CITED-20